Main » Saudi-led coalition kills 42 Yemenis, including children, in one week

Saudi-led coalition kills 42 Yemenis, including children, in one week

27 August 2017

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki told AFP that those killed in Wednesday's air strike were "armed militants", adding that the strike was aimed at "a high-value target".

Saleh's supporters said in a statement that the party will evaluate its partnership with the Houthis, referring to a recent power struggle between the two factions. Al-Massira television channel run by the Shiite Huthi rebels who control the capital said those killed were all civilians, and blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the strike.

Amnesty International says the coalition "rained down bombs on civilians while they slept".

Medics and rescuers said five women were among the dead. Children were also seen among demonstrators as a number of them held signs reading, "Stop killing children!"

The attack is the latest in a wave of deadly raids on residential areas of Yemen blamed on a Saudi-led coalition, drawing strong worldwide condemnation.

Witnesses said they believed the warplanes were from the Saudi-led coalition waging a campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement for control of the country in a war which has killed about 10,000 people in the past two-and-a-half years. "Attacks targeting civilians or civilian objects are prohibited under global humanitarian law, which also prohibits indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks". On Friday's strike, he said: "I will review the information".

However, a senior ICRC official visited the site of the strike on Friday and said, "From what we saw on the ground, there was no apparent military target".

Many human rights activists also took part in the demonstration, calling on the United Nations to launch an investigation into Saudi crimes against Yemeni civilians.

It came days after the United Nations intervened to call for an investigation into a similar bombing on a hotel in the same city that killed at least 35 people.

"We remind all the parties of the conflict, including the coalition, about their duty to fully respect worldwide humanitarian law", added Throssell.